An 18-year-old has appeared in court charged with murdering his mother and siblings at a tower block in Luton.

Bedfordshire Police said it believed the victims were Juliana Prosper, 48; Kyle Prosper, 16, and Giselle Prosper, 13 – all of Leabank – but formal identification had not yet taken place.

Nicholas Prosper, also of Leabank, appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court wearing a grey prison tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

His is next due to appear at Luton Crown Court on 18 September.

The defendant was also accused of a “number of firearms offences” relating to the incident on Friday morning, police said.

Floral tributes have been left outside the block in the Marsh Farm area of Luton where the bodies were found.

Officers were called to the flats at about 05:30 BST and found three people had been fatally injured.